Electrical connector for insulated wires



18, 1964 E. w. FORNEY, JR 3,145,261

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR FOR INSULATED WIRES Filed Feb. 9, 1962 EoeaR W. FORNEV JR.

35 t 31 BY \21 m my; +84%! United States Patent -In the art of making electrical connections, it is some times necessary and desirable that insulated wires be connected electrically without the prior procedure of stripping some of the insulation from the wire.

It is an object of this invention to provide a device for quickly and easily connecting a plurality of insulated wires together without previously stripping the insulation. It is a further object of this invention to provide an electrical connection which may be simply and easily secured to insulated wires without prior stripping of the wires that has a means for locking the connector onto the wires.

Other objects and attainments of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawings in which there is, shown I and described anillustrative embodiment of the invention;

it is to be understood, however, that this embodiment is not intended to be exhaustive nor limiting of the invention but is given for purposes of illustration in order that others skilled in the art-may fully understand the invention and the principles thereof and the manner of applying it in practical use so that they may modify it in various forms, .each as may be best suited to the conditions of a particular use.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a connector embodying the principles of this invention;

FIGURE 1A is a View similar to FIGURE 1 but with the connector having insulation thereon;

FIGURE 2 is an end view of the device of FIGURE 1 showing the wires therein;

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 after the connection has been made, and showing a set of dies suitable for making the connection;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken through plane 44 of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view illustrating another embodiment of dies suitable for making the connection.

As shown in the drawings (FIGURE 1), a connector, generally indicated at 10, may be formed of any suitable electrical-conducting material, e.g., sheet-metal copper. The preferred embodiment has a U-shaped conductorreceiving configuration comprised of a planar member 12 and a planar member 14 secured together by a bight 15. The planar members 12 and 14 are identical and parallel, and slightly spaced from each other. Since members 12 and 14 are identical, only member 14 need be described.

It is understood that while the preferment has a pair of planar members, a single planar member, or any numher in excess of two, might be employed.

The planar member 14 has a central projection 16 (see FIGURE 2) with a recess 18 and a recess 20 located on either side. The width of the recesses 18 and 20 are not more than the diameter of the wires to be secured therein (FIGURES 3 and 4). The top of the projection is rounded, as at 22, to facilitate entry of the wires into the recesses.

A pair of fingers 24 and 26 extend upwardly from the planar member on each side thereof. The outer sides of the recesses taper gradually toward the inner surfaces of the fingers 24 and 26 to provide rounded surfaces 28 and 30. The rounded surfaces 28 and 30 are somewhat simi- 3,145,261 Patented Aug. 18, 1964 "Ice lar to the rounded surface 22 on the projection 16, in that they facilitate entry of the wire into the recesses. A pair of conductors 32 and 34, having outer dielectrical coatings 33 and 35 respectively, are adapted to fit within the fingerlike members 24 and 26.

As shown in FIGURE 3, when it is desired to secure the conductors 32 and 34 together in electrical conductive fashion, the fingers 24 and 26 may be folded inwardly to force the conductors 32 and 34 into the recesses 18 and 20. As shown in FIGURES 3 and 5, the action of the forcing of the conductors into the recesses removes the insulation from the conductors, and slightly flattens the conductors so that good electrical contact is made between the conductors and the sides of the recesses.

With the fingers 24 and 26 folded-over, as shown in FIG- URE 3, the fingers lock the conductors into the recesses 18 and 20, thus providing a secure electrical connection. As previously noted, while the description is related to plate member 14, a similar action and locking means occurs with regard to plate 12. Thus the conductors 32 and 34 are securely joined together by the connector to form an electrical conductive joint and locked in place by the fingers 24 and 26. The connection is effected without previously stripping the insulation from the wires. The electrical connector 10 may be coated with an electrical insulating material 10', as shown in FIGURE. 1A,

(except for the sides of the recesses 18 and 20) so that the resulting connection is fully insulated. It is noted (FIGURE 4) that the insulation 33, 35, on the conductors 32, 34, will expand to insulate the tangency of the recesses and the conductors.

The electrical connection of FIGURE 3 may be eifected by use of an ordinary pair of pliers (not shown). The pliers may be manipulated to fold the fingers 24 and 26 over the recesses 18 and 20, and, in doing so, force the conductors 32 and 34 into the recesses 18 and 20.

An alternative involves a pair of dies (FIGURE 3) including an upper die or nest 50 having an inner profile 52 which corresponds to the profile of the outer surface of the fingers 24 and 26 after the connection has been made. The width of the die 50 is essentially the same width as the planar members 12 and 14 so that the planar members fit snugly within the dies. A second indenting die 54 may have a profile 56 which corresponds to the outer profile of the bight portion 15. Thus when the connector is assembled, as shown in FIGURE 2, inserted in the nesting die 50, and the indenting die 54 is forced against the connector, the inner profile 52 of the nesting die 50 folds the fingers 24 and 26 into their appropriate position, causing the wires 32 and 34 to be driven into the slots 18 and 20 to make the connection.

Another set of dies suitable for making a connection is illustrated in FIGURE 5. These dies include a series of laminated plates 70, 72, 74, 76 and 78 in the upper die member. Alternate plates 70, 74 and 78 are adapted to bear against the conductors to force them into the connector. The intermediate plates 72 and 76 are recessed at 80 and 82 to accommodate the fingers 24 and 26 of the connector, and fold them over after the conductor has been forced into the connector. The lower die (not shown) may be similar to the lower die illustrated in FIGURE 3.

Changes in construction will occur to those skilled in the art and various apparently different modifications and embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only. The actual scope of the invention is intended to be defined in the following claims when viewed in their proper perspective against the prior art.

I claim:

1. An electrical connection comprising a plurality of insulated conductors, an electrical connector secured to said conductors, said connector including a planar member of electrical conductive material, said planar member having parallel spaced recesses disposed therein, said recesses having a width slightly less than the diameter of the conductors, a conductor being disposed in each of said recesses such that the insulation thereof, where the conductor engages the sides ofthe corresponding recess, is removed from the conductor to provide good electrical contact therebetween, and a finger-like projection extends from one side of each of said recesses and is bent inwardly toward the corresponding recess in engagement with the insulated conductor to maintain same in position.

2. In an electrical connection, a plurality of insulated conductors, an electrical connector secured to said conductors, said connector including at least two spaced parallel planar members of electrical conductive material interconnected by a bight member, the planar members having parallel spaced recesses disposed therein in alignment which have a width slightly less than the diameter of the conductors, a conductor being disposed in each aligned recesses such that the insulation thereof, where the conductor engages the sides of the recesses, is removed from theconductor to provide good electrical contact therebetween, and a finger-like projection-extends from one side of each of said recesses and is bent inwardly toward the corresponding recess in engagement with the insulated conductor to maintain same in position.

3. As an article of manufacture, an electrical connector for electrically joining a plurality of conductive means having insulation thereon without requiring prestripping of the insulation therefrom, comprising an electrical conductive member having a plurality of recesses separated fromeach other by projection means, the width of said recesses being less than the diameter of the conductive means, the side of each recess opposite said projection means having an extension extending outwardly therefrom a distance at least equal to the width of the opening of said recess, said recesses adapted to receive therein said conductive means, in which the insulation thereof is stripped therefrom upon said extensions being bent inwardly toward said projection means across said recesses to engage, force and secure said conductive means therein.

4. The article of claim 3 including a rounded surface on top of the projection means and rounded arcuate sections blending from the recesses to the extensions.

5. The article of claim 3 wherein the exterior surface of the connector other than the surfaces of the recesses is insulated.

6. As an article of manufacture, an electrical connector for electrically joining a plurality of conductive me'ans having insulation thereon without requiring prestripping of the insulation therefrom, comprising an electrical conductive member including at least two spaced parallel members interconnected by a bight member, each member having a plurality of recesses separated from each other by projection means, the width of said recesses being less than the diameter of the conductive means, the side of eachrecess opposite said projection means having an extension extending outwardly therefrom a distanceat' least equal to the widthof the'opening of said recess, said recesses adapted to receive therein said conductive means in which the insulation thereof is stripped therefrom upon said extensions being bent inwardly toward said projection means acrosssaid recesses therein.

7. The article of claim 6 wherein the exterior surface of the connector other than the surfaces of the recesses is insulated.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,048,650 Allen et al. Aug. 7, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 67,298 Netherlands Feb. 15, 1951 793,322 Great Britain Apr. 16, 1958 Patent No. 3,145,261

August 18, 1964 Edgar W. Forney, Jr.

It is hereby certified that err ent requiring-correction and that th or appears in the above num corrected below.

bered pate said Letters Patent should read as" Column 4, line 28, after "recesses" force and secure s EAL) Auest:

ERNEST s'wID'ER" EDWARD J 'anzEmER Attestipg" Officer Commissioner of Patents Attestipg'" Officer Patent No. 3,145,261

August 18, 1964 Q Edgar W. Forney, Jr.

It :18 hereby certified, that err ent requiring correction and that th correctedbelow.

or appears in the a have numbered pate said Letters Pate nt shouldread as:

Column 4, line 28, aft

force and secure said conducti er "recesses" ve means Signed and sealed this 22nd day of December 1964.

(SEAL) A ttest:

rimwa's'T w. SWI'DER' EDWARD J,

Commissioner bf Pitnts ln's ert to engage, 

3. AS AN ARTICLE OF MANUFACTURE, AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR FOR ELECTRICALLY JOINING A PLURALITY OF CONDUCTIVE MEANS HAVING INSULATION THEREON WITHOUT REQUIRING PRESTRIPPING OF THE INSULATION THEREFROM, COMPRISING AN ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVE MEMBER HAVING A PLURALITY OF RECESSES SEPARATED FROM EACH OTHER BY PROJECTION MEANS, THE WIDTH OF SAID RECESSES BEING LESS THAN THE DIAMETER OF THE CONDUCTIVE MEANS, THE SIDE OF EACH RECESS OPPOSITE SAID PROJECTION MEANS HAVING AN EXTENSION EXTENDING OUTWARDLY 